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The eggs will be everywhere this Easter weekend – dark and milk chocolate, hollow ones to smash, or others filled with oozing caramel or even a creamy confectionery yolk.

But when little tummies are getting queazy and it's time for the chocolate to be hidden away, don't forget there is another kind of egg.

The humble chook egg might not come wrapped in glittery foil. But its packaging is a marvel of nature. And what's inside, health experts say, has many of the nutritional goodies to help redress the balance for what has gone before.

The latest science shows that the natural cholesterol in eggs doesn't cause the problems it was once thought to.

The Heart Foundation now says that it's ok to eat up to six eggs a week as part of a balanced diet. At two eggs a serve, that's three meals for the week – perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A good egg

The eggs you choose will depend on budget and ethical viewpoint. But, Rebecca Stubbs, executive chef at Chapel Hill Retreat in McLaren Vale, says a bright orange-yellow yolk is a good sign. The freshness of the egg is also critical, particularly for poaching. Look for a yolk that stands up plump and proud when it is cracked on to a plate, with a viscous white that clings together rather than being loose and sloppy.

Breakfast

Rebecca likes her breakfast egg to include a bit of spice. "It gives you a friendly kick to say 'wake up'," she says.

Her favourite at the moment is "shakshuka" – a Middle Eastern/Jewish dish of eggs in a spicy tomato sauce.

Saute onion and chilli in a frypan, add fresh tomato and cook until thick. Make a hole (or holes) in the sauce and drop in a raw egg. Cook until white is set and yolk still runny. Serve with flakey flat bread or ciabatta. This style of egg in tomato sauce is well-travelled: add different spices to make Moroccan, Spanish (with chorizo) or Mexican huevos rancheros. For a more elegant breakfast, try eggs benedict with a buttery hollandaise sauce, or the comfort of boiled egg with soldiers.

Lunch

"How about a nicoise salad," Rebecca says. "But rather than canned tuna use a fresh tuna steak. Keep the salad separate and instead of hard boiled egg, keep it a bit runny inside."

Or try a quiche-style tart with leek and crumbled gorgonzola mixed through an eggy base in a pastry case, with a frisee and toasted almond salad on top to lighten things up. Fill an omelet with rocket and mushrooms that are sauteed and drained of excess juices. Try adding pancetta and cherry tomatoes for a little more oomph.

Dinner

Curried egg can be much more than a sandwich filling.

Rebbecca says one of her favourite egg dishes is an Indian-style "mother-in-law eggs", in which soft boiled eggs are deep fried and then dropped into a spicy curry sauce. If you're cooking for kids, use a creamy butterchicken- style sauce; if it's adults only, pump up the chilli.

Or take those soft boiled eggs and wrap them in pork or beef mince, perhaps studded with toasted nuts, crumb and deep fry for a scotch egg. Eat hot or save them for the next day's lunchbox.

And don't forget that easiest of pastas, the carbonara. Just make sure the pasta has cooled a little before adding the egg.

Get cracking

Bring some Easter colour to your eggs by soaking in food dye. Click here for ideas. Or try a Chinese-style marbled egg by cracking the shell and simmering in a mixture of tea, star anise and other spices.

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